Apprenticeship Ceremony

After washing up yesterday, the group went to bed early. The next morning, before dawn, the academy's morning bell rang. Tang Feng rubbed his slightly swollen eyes, sat up, and slowly opened them. Seeing that it was still dark, he swayed back down onto the bed, thinking he might go back to sleep for a while.

"Hey, wake up!" Zhang Mobai grabbed Tang Feng's arm and pulled him out of bed. "We need to pay tuition and pick up our school uniforms today. Our luggage was also brought up this morning; Yang Fei and Ziliang helped us carry it in."

Tang Feng reluctantly rubbed his eyes, slowly hooked his boots out from under the bed, put them on, and then, as if exhausted, slumped his head, closed his eyes, and was about to fall asleep again. Seeing this, Zhang Mobai whispered in Tang Feng's ear, "Little brother, Ziliang said he wants to kiss you." Tang Feng, who had been half-asleep, woke up instantly, his hand instinctively flinging out. Luckily, Zhang Mobai dodged quickly. Otherwise, he'd be laughed at for having a handprint on his face when he went to pay his tuition. After waking up, Tang Feng, still dressed, smiled apologetically at Zhang Mobai, "Sorry! It was just a reflex!"

Zhang Mobai rolled his eyes. "Hurry up! Dinner's about to start at Langxia Hall!" Tang Feng nodded quickly, fastened his belt, and went out without even putting on his outer robe. He saw Zhou Ziliang and Yang Fei standing and sitting at the door, waiting for them. Yang Fei was quick; he sprang to his feet in a flash, jumped off the platform, and ran straight to Zhang Mobai. "Bai Bai, Bai Bai, Bai Bai, you guys are so slow! I've missed you so much all night!"

Zhang Mobai slapped Yang Fei away. "Is that so! Then why don't you just die!" With that, Zhang Mobai put his hands behind his back and walked towards the door. Yang Fei naturally followed closely behind, not leaving Zhang Mobai's side for even a moment.

Tang Feng was still standing at the door. Zhou Ziliang looked at Tang Feng, who was still half asleep and looked dazed, and couldn't help but laugh. "Aren't you leaving yet?"

Tang Feng had just recovered his senses when he stammered, "What...what are you looking at?" He quickly put on his outer robe and headed outside, intending to catch up with Zhang Mobai. However, it seemed they were already quite far away, and Tang Feng himself didn't recognize the way. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he forced a smile and glanced back at Zhou Ziliang to save face. "Aren't you going?" Zhou Ziliang slowly walked behind Tang Feng, stopping to wait for him to walk together.

Although the two remained silent on the way, Tang Feng felt the awkwardness had lessened. It was Tang Feng's first time at Lishan Academy, and he was curious about everything, often staring at a particular spot for a long time. Zhou Ziliang wasn't in a hurry, quietly waiting beside him without urging him. They would continue walking together once Tang Feng had seen enough. The corridor hall was like a modern cafeteria. Inside, there were a dozen short-legged wooden tables, each with four cushions underneath. As Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang entered, Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei brought the food to the table. "Sorry, I was so engrossed in admiring the scenery that I'm a little late," Zhou Ziliang said, bending down to pull out a cushion, handing one to Tang Feng and placing the other on the ground.

Zhang Mobai, carrying his meal, smiled and said, "It's alright, it's alright. We're brothers, no need to be so polite." He hadn't expected that his unintentional actions would backfire so spectacularly. He had originally wanted to get rid of Yang Fei, but unexpectedly, it had fostered a better relationship between Tang Feng and Yang Fei. He then nudged Yang Fei's chest and whispered, "Good progress!"

Yang Fei turned his head away, gritted his teeth, and dared not utter a sound as he hummed, "I think there's a chance."

Tang Feng, munching on his steamed bun, looked around. He wasn't sure if they'd arrived too early or if some students hadn't come to school yet; only a few people were sitting in the hallway. "Isn't that the eldest son of Prime Minister Xu?" Yang Fei whispered, leaning closer to the center of the table. Tang Feng tried to turn around to see who it was, but Zhou Ziliang pulled him into his arms. Tang Feng grabbed Zhou Ziliang's clothes and arm, trying to struggle to get up, but Zhou Ziliang's arm wouldn't let go, and his strength even increased. Zhou Ziliang said in a low voice, "I know you want to curse me now, but you'd better not provoke Xu Chang'an. With your current temper, you'll suffer." In the past, Zhou Ziliang wouldn't have cared; after all, back then, Tang Feng wouldn't have spoken even if he were asked to. But now it was different. Tang Feng, held in Zhou Ziliang's arms, looked at Zhang Mobai, seeking confirmation. Seeing Zhang Mobai slowly nod, Tang Feng gradually calmed down. Zhou Ziliang released his grip and helped Tang Feng up. Zhang Mobai glanced at Xu Chang'an and said, "Xu Chang'an is a ruthless character. He's on good terms with you normally, but he's more ruthless than anyone else when it comes to stabbing you in the back."

Tang Feng nodded after listening, but at this moment he really wanted to know what Xu Chang'an, whom Zhou Ziliang and the others had mentioned, actually looked like! At this moment, Zhang Mobai swallowed the last mouthful of soy milk and said, "Anyway, he's not a good guy. Xu Chang'an is someone close to Prince Cheng. Since ancient times, princes have vied for the throne, and ministers have chosen sides. You'll see when everyone at the academy arrives and they begin the apprenticeship ceremony; everyone's divided into groups, and they all dislike each other." He then put down his chopsticks and turned to leave.

"Isn't this Brother Mo Bai! Oh! Brother Zi Liang! Brother Yang! Brother Tang! Everyone's here!" Tang Feng finally found a chance to turn around when he heard the voices. He stood up and looked back. He saw a man dressed in a gray robe with ink-splashed bamboo paintings on it, a black outer robe hanging on the ground. Judging from his appearance, he was handsome and refined, holding a folding fan in his hand. He was clearly a typical scholar.

Zhang Mobai and the others returned the greeting, and Tang Feng quickly bowed as well. Although he bowed, his eyes were still glancing upwards. So this person was Xu Chang'an! It wasn't as exaggerated as Zhou Ziliang and the others had said!

"Brother Ziliang, when did you arrive?"

Yesterday, Zhou Ziliang wasn't afraid of him, but it was also easy to see that Zhou Ziliang didn't want to talk to him. He replied with two words and tried to leave, but was stopped by Xu Chang'an.

"Brother Ziliang, I've heard that the yellow sand of the northern desert can be very harmful when it encounters strong winds, unlike the Wei River in Xiling, which has a nurturing environment. Brother Ziliang is also a man who needs to have a family. Shouldn't you consider abandoning the sand and drinking the river water instead?"

Zhou Ziliang initially intended to ignore it, but then Tang Feng stepped forward and said, "Whether he wants sand or water is our family matter, what's it to you?" Tang Feng already had a bad impression of Xu Chang'an because of the pre-existing warnings from Zhang Mobai and Zhou Ziliang. Now, Xu Chang'an's long, rambling speech inexplicably annoyed Tang Feng. Although he didn't particularly like Zhou Ziliang, Tang Feng seemed to dislike Xu Chang'an even more than Zhou Ziliang.

Zhou Ziliang was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Tang Feng to speak up for him. When he came to his senses, he disregarded etiquette and pulled Tang Feng out. Only when they reached the door did he slowly stop and say, "You shouldn't have spoken up for me. They won't do anything to me, but you're different. I'm afraid they'll hold a grudge later."

Tang Feng shook off Zhou Ziliang's hand. "So what if I hold a grudge? It's not like the magistrate is allowed to set fires while the common people are forbidden even to light lamps! Besides, I'm not living for anyone else; I can do whatever I want."

Zhou Ziliang felt like he'd heard those words somewhere before. Ah, right, that day under the Thousand Prayer Tree, the boy leaning against the tree had said something similar. Zhou Ziliang couldn't remember what he'd said, but he felt that Tang Feng was already somewhat unexpected. Zhou Ziliang smiled but didn't speak. Tang Feng, seeing this, became somewhat annoyed and angry. "What are you laughing at? I stood up for you, and you pull this stunt?"

"It's nothing, I just feel like you're different than before."

Tang Feng rolled his eyes. "Isn't that obvious? I'm not the same Tang Feng as before, otherwise I'd be in trouble!" At this moment, Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei came out, saying they were there to help Tang Feng. Zhang Mobai tapped Tang Feng's forehead, somewhat reproachfully, "I'm not trying to criticize you, but you just said not to mess with him, and then you talked back. It's not for any other reason than that you provoked him. We're not around to help you; what if he retaliates?" Tang Feng smiled and quickly apologized to Zhang Mobai. Zhang Mobai then didn't say anything more and urged Tang Feng to pay the tuition. Yang Fei followed behind, and after a few steps, seeing that Zhou Ziliang hadn't followed, he turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Ziliang looked down at Tang Feng and said, "It's nothing, let's go!"

After paying their tuition and collecting their uniforms at Fuzhongtai, Tang Feng and his group returned to the courtyard to change. Tang Feng learned while collecting his uniform that Lishan Academy had two classes: a literature class and a martial arts class, much like how high schools in modern society divide students into science and humanities tracks. Zhang Mobai and Tang Feng received their literature class uniforms: a pale white inner lining and a semi-transparent, wide-sleeved white gauze outer garment, their hair half-combed and half-down, tied with a white ribbon. Zhou Ziliang and Yang Fei wore martial arts uniforms: gray casual clothes underneath with black wrist guards. Compared to Tang Feng and his group, their martial arts uniforms were more streamlined, their hair was styled in high ponytails, and they wore hair ornaments.

The four of them set up a table in the courtyard. Yang Fei brewed tea. "The students who are supposed to be here tonight are all here. Tomorrow morning is the formal apprenticeship ceremony." Then Yang Fei looked at Tang Feng. "You used to be the most worry-free person, but now you're really making us very uneasy. The academy is not like home. Every student here comes from an official family, and right now, the princes of the previous dynasty are stirring up a storm because of the struggle for the throne. There will definitely be people taking sides and pledging allegiance, so you'd better be careful."

Although Tang Feng felt that Yang Fei had exaggerated the matter again, he still nodded in agreement. The four of them tried on their clothes and headed towards Xuejutang. "What are all these things?" Tang Feng exclaimed, noticing four servants following behind him. These were the servants Yang Fei had just summoned; they had made a fuss inside the room before emerging with four red gift boxes.

"Oh, that! That's a gift for the teacher, to be presented to him when we formally become his disciples later," Zhang Mobai said, then tugged at Tang Feng's sleeve. "Look, that's Xuejutang over there."

Because Lishan Academy is located on a mountain, most of the roads are winding and serpentine. Tang Feng looked down and saw white walls and gray tiles. The entire building stood on the water, and the pond was full of lotus leaves. There were no windows or walls around the building. The weight was supported by a few pillars. The privacy was covered by yellow and white gauze. When the spring breeze passed, the curtains were lightly rolled up.

A row of servants carrying gifts stood at the entrance of Xuejutang, and a teacher sat at the door, recording the students' names. Tang Feng walked in, and there were more than a dozen tables set up below. Two people shared one table, and the Four Treasures of the Study were laid out on the table. Zhang Mobai pulled Tang Feng to sit down, "Let's sit here!"

Tang Feng nodded and had just sat down when someone outside shouted, "Dean Yan is here!" As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Feng saw everyone around him stand up, and he quickly rose as well to bow to the dean.

The teacher who had been registering students outside walked to the left side of the dean and called out, "Students, straighten your clothes!" Seeing everyone straightening their clothes, Tang Feng also pretended to straighten his own, patting off the wrinkles in his clothes.

"One bow!"

The ceremony of formally becoming an apprentice differs from previous rituals. The hands are folded together, with the left hand placed on top of the right, at eyebrow level, and the person bows at a 90-degree angle in a deep bow.

"prosper"

"Bowing twice brings prosperity; bowing three times brings prosperity."

"Pass on the Six Rites of Blessing."

The servants who had been standing outside the door came in carrying gifts. The teacher took out a bamboo curtain from his sleeve and read aloud, "Xu Chang'an, son of the Prime Minister's family, a pair of purple-patterned carved glass cups; Hu Ziyi, son of the Grand Tutor's family, a blue-and-white mandarin duck teapot; Lu Changyuan, son of the Grand Master of the Palace, a genuine painting by Liu Huzhi..."

The apprenticeship ceremony itself was quick, just three bows and it was over. But the gift-receiving part... that was a long and agonizing process.